Speaking to reporters earlier this week, former Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi had this to say: “Of the famous players, (Kazuyoshi Miura) was the first one to go to Europe after the J.League started but even he struggled. Now, you’ve got 20 or so players at national team level who are in the best leagues in Europe. I think that reflects the growth of the J.League over the years.”Having 20 or so Japanese players in the NBA is an unrealistic goal for the foreseeable future, but getting guys to Europe should be a target right away, a step in the right direction, and a way to give the national team players better competition year-round.

Only guard Takumi Ishizaki, who makes a living in Germany, is playing overseas among the national team basketball players. That's not enough, and the Japan Basketball Association should actively seek ways to change this.

How can you make Japanese basketball better -- now and in the long run?

This is a good place to start -- spending good money to bring more good players to Japan to help elevate the competition and the intensity and quality of practice.

"The only way to produce an NBA-level player is to have NBA level players playing in your league at multiple positions," a hoop expert said in a 2011 interview. "The first real Japanese NBA player will probably be a guard, so you need to have as many high level point guards and shooting guards playing in the league, so the Japanese players can test themselves every time they step on the court."

Instead, the bj-league and JBL (NBL is the future name) have been cutting back, using mostly foreign talent at the post positions. And that's a big mistake. Foreign talented is also greatly needed at the backcourt and wing positions -- on every teams.

Zero Japanese are in the NBA, and the Japan national team has failed to qualify for the Olympics since 1976. Obviously, the system is broken. The above suggestion will take patience and money -- good investment -- to make it happen. But it's worth it, every penny will be money well spent.

To give fans more opportunities to watch a greater number of teams in the coming years, the bj-league ought to expand the season. I'd say go with a 64-game schedule next season.

That would enable the viewing public to see more non-conference opponents and a greater variety of players.

More games means more chances for all players to work on their games, to find ways to improve. It would also provide more marketing opportunities -- and hey, experiment with new aggressive promotions -- and give the press more time to focus on local and regional teams and national themes in their reporting.

The current 52-game schedule is a decent number, a long season for sure. But when it takes a team nearly six months to play its first non-conference foe (such as Ryukyu and Yokohama experienced this past weekend when they squared off), there are serious flaws in the way the schedule is assembled.

Here's what I'd do: Begin the season again in October, or maybe a couple weeks earlier in mid-September. Extend it a few more weeks.

Playing almost all games against a conference opponent is lousy.

Due to nonstop expansion since its inception in 2005, the number of teams' opponents has risen dramatically. The original six teams had a 40-game season in 2005-06, and eight clubs competed in 2006-07, also a 40-game campaign. Well, the number of teams has since gone up (in subsequent seasons) to 10, 12, 13, 16, 20, and now 21, while the schedule has increased slightly from the aforementioned 40 to 44 in 2007-08, and then its current 52 in 2008-09.

It's time for another adjustment. Many more teams means an increase in games should be a priority.